PHILIPSBURG — The mutual agreement the governments of St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao singed on April 4 with State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Alexandra van Huffelen has encountered ridicule and severe criticism from different sources. UD-MP Sarah Wescot-Williams expressed her concerns in a press release and René Zwart, publisher of dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl published a sarcastic Kadushi-column about the event. The parliaments of the countries have no say in this matter because the mutual agreement is a decision taken by the respective governments, at least, by its representatives. Silveria Jacobs was present at the signing for St. Maarten, Gilmar Pisas for Curacao…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — Independent MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten showed her concern about the uncertain situation at the Cadastre by requesting financial information from its managing board. In a press release dated April 10, Heyliger-Marten points out that the articles of incorporation require that the managing board gives the Council of Ministers access to its administration and that it will, upon request, provide all information about financial policies and financial management. The MP is particularly interested in the Cadastre’s audited financial statements from the year 2013 until the present and the approved budgets for the years 2013-2023. Heyliger-Marten asked in a letter addressed…
PHILIPSBURG — Justice Minister Anna Richardson provided smooth answers about the plight of employees at her department during question hour in parliament last week Thursday but a review of the ongoing saga about the function books shows that the process to arrive at a solution is taking forever. A letter to the editor from a disgruntled justice-employee offers some historic perspective. On December 30, 2022, by now more than three months ago, the ministry published a press release stating that the governor had asked for a total sum calculation prior to signing off on legislation that regulates the legal position…
~ We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice, not in love with publicity but in love with humanity ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Dear Editor, On 30th December 2022, the Ministry of Justice published the press release: Governor requires total sum calculation prior to signing legal position regulation. This release has two critical statements, and I quote, “With the approved Ministry of Justice Function Book of December 2021, the draft Legal Position Regulation for the Police of Sint Maarten currently pending approval and signature from His Excellency Governor Ajamu Baly, and the start of the placement process of…
By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Just imagine. A small island, or a short runway, or just a resort with ample open space. Out of the blue sky comes an airplane and lands right there, like a helicopter, and brings forty passengers. You will think that this is not just imagination, but rather hallucination pure. It would be a dreamer’s island hopper. You may call her a dreamer, yet Freshta Farzam is taking an all or nothing approach to future mobility. Who is ‘her’? Freshta is the CEO and Founder of LYTE Aviation based in Germany and the UK, that may turn…
PHILIPSBURG — The industrial action by police officers, described by their attorney Cor Merx as go-slow has been a long time in the making. Merx stated in a brief message posted on Youtube that the action that began on April 4, will continue. “We sent a letter to the Minister of Justice on February 18, expressing our grievances,” Merx said. Those grievances relate to placement letters, payment arrears and the difference in payment for immigration officers and regular police officers. “It is a pity that we never got an answer from the minister,” Merx said. “Instead, the minister announced a…
PHILIPSBURG — It is possible to sell the same plot of land to different buyers but when push comes to shove there will only be one real owner: the one who managed to get the deed properly registered at the Cadastre before any of the other buyers. There are many misunderstandings about land-ownership in St. Maarten. One of them is that a buyer becomes toe legal owner once the purchase agreement had been completed at a notary office. This is incorrect. After the formalities at the notary are completed, the notary has to properly register the deed at the Cadastre.…
SXM AIRPORT — A large section of the first Passenger Boarding Bridge (PBB) at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) has been installed, and the assembly of the connecting tunnel to aircraft is in preparation. The prognosis is that four new enclosed, elevated passageways which extend from the airport terminal gates to airplanes can be taken into use in July 2023. In 2017, the jet bridges were damaged during Hurricane Irma and had to be demolished. Management of PJIA expects the current passenger boarding process and overall passenger experience to be greatly enhanced with the four jet bridges. The new situation…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Omar Ottley aims to introduce a 25-dollar fee for each person arriving in St. Maarten. On the 2023 Government budget the “arrival tax” mentioned by the minister is listed as Tourist Tax, with an estimated revenue of NAf 10 million by the end of December. “Currently St. Maarten doesn’t have an arrival fee,” Minister Ottley said during the recent budget debate in Parliament, acknowledging that a new levy requires modification of the current tax system. “The details still have to be worked out,” the minister stated. Presented with the…
PHILIPSBURG — The Party for Progress (PFP) faction in Parliament has reasons to believe that fraud and/or corruption took place with the awarding of district cleaning-contracts for the period 2022-2025. The Council of Ministers approved the contracts in its meeting of March 16.
